Tina Browne Explained

Tina Pupuke-Browne (born 4 April 1955) is a Cook Islands politician and a member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is the leader of the Democratic Party.

Career

Brown was born in 1955^[1] and is from the island of Rakahanga and is the daughter of former Cook Islands Prime Minister Pupuke Robati.^[2] She was educated at Tereora College and then attended the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1979^{[2] [3]} – the first woman from Rarotonga to do so.^[4] She subsequently worked for New Zealand law firm Russell McVeagh. She returned to the Cook Islands in 1981 to work for the Crown Law Office before entering private practice.^[3] She served as president of the Cook Islands Netball Association.^[5]

Browne first entered politics in 1996, when she contested the Nikao-Panama by-election as a candidate for the Cook Islands Party. She was defeated by Ngamau Munokoa.^[5]

She was elected as leader of the Democratic Party in April 2017, replacing William (Smiley) Heather.^[6] In the 2018 election she contested the seat of Rakahanga, losing to the Cook Islands Party's Toka Hagai. Hagai subsequently resigned the seat following allegations of treating,^[7] and Browne won it following an electoral petition.^[8]

In December 2019 she was part of a protest by women MPs to permit the wearing of ei katu (floral crowns) in Parliament.^[9]

In April 2020 she led several MPs in taking a pay cut during the COVID-19 pandemic.^{[10] [11]} During 2020 she supported the government's efforts to prevent the spread of covid to the Cook Islands,^[12] and later opposed the government's lifting of quarantine.^[13]

In March 2021 she joined the government in opposing a 10-year moratorium on seabed mining.^[14]

She was re-elected at the 2022 Cook Islands general election.^[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hon. Tina PUPUKE BROWNE . Parliament of the Cook Islands . 13 August 2022.
2. Web site: 'I was shocked and I was terrified' . Katrina Tanirau . Cook Islands News . 29 February 2020 . 5 June 2020.
3. Web site: Our Principals & Associates . Browne Harvey & Associates P.C. . 5 June 2020.
4. News: People . Pacific Islands Monthly . 51 . 3 . 1 March 1980 . 65 . 10 July 2020 . National Library of Australia.
5. Web site: Crocombe . R G . Crocombe . M T . The Cook Islands in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 1995 to 30 June 1996 . 9 . 1. 1997. 6 March 2011 .
6. Web site: Browne new leader of the Demo Party . Cook Islands News . 13 April 2017 . 9 January 2019.
7. Web site: Cook Islands MP resigns amid legal action . RNZI . 7 November 2018 . 7 November 2018.
8. Web site: Browne wins Cook Islands election petition on appeal . Radio New Zealand International . 17 December 2018 . 9 January 2019.
9. Web site: Positively blooming in parliament . Cook Islands News . 13 December 2019 . 5 July 2020.
10. Web site: Cook Islands opposition calls for govt to take a pay cut . . 20 April 2020 . 18 June 2022.
11. Web site: Two more Cooks MPs take voluntary pay cuts . . 21 April 2020 . 18 June 2022.
12. Web site: Cooks opposition backs govt's 'double quarantine' . . 29 April 2020 . 18 June 2022.
13. Web site: Cooks opposition says people quarantine re-instated . . 19 November 2020 . 18 June 2022.
14. Web site: Cook Islands Democrats change view on mining moratorium . . 22 March 2021 . 18 June 2022.
15. Web site: WARRANT DECLARING THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES AND THE NUMBER OF VOTES RECEIVED BY EACH CANDIDATE . Cook Islands Gazette . 11 August 2022 . 13 August 2022.